Amnesty International: Chile using violence as a deterrent

2019-11-22 11:10:05

Security forces in Chile have deliberately injured people taking part in the current mass demonstrations, Amnesty International says. The rights group said the aim is to discourage further protests. Excessive police force had led to the deaths of five people while thousands had been seriously injured, tortured or sexually abused, the report said. They are not isolated acts, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, told reporters. "The intention of the Chilean security forces is clear: to injure demonstrators in order to discourage protest," she said in a statement. Protesters are demanding social reforms and a change to the constitution which dates back to the pre-democracy era of the military leader, Augusto Pinochet. The government has announced it will hold a referendum on the country's constitution. Twenty-two people have been killed and more than 2,300 injured in the protests.